Sebastian Popa-Ardora Candle

At Design Interviews

Interview with Sebastian Popa : Frank Scott: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?. Sebastian Popa : Ardora looks like an ordinary candle, but in fact it is very special. After being lit up, as the candle gradually melts it reveals a heart shape from within. The heart inside the candle is made out of heat-resistant ceramic. The wick separates inside the candle, going through the front and the back of the ceramic heart. In this way, the wax melts uniformly, revealing the heart inside. The candle can have different scents which can produce a very pleasant atmosphere. .Frank Scott: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?. Sebastian Popa : I tried to imagine how would react a person that received this object as a present. The intention was to provide a surprise from an object that otherwise is considered to be trivial. At a first glance, people would think that it is a usual candle, but as the candle melts they can discover its special feature. .Frank Scott: What are your future plans for this award winning design?. Sebastian Popa : I plan to find some producers and make it available for the public. .Frank Scott: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?. Sebastian Popa : Several months. .Frank Scott: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?. Sebastian Popa : It is a self initiated project. .Frank Scott: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?. Sebastian Popa : The design is not yet produced, I plan to find some producers and make it available for the public. .Frank Scott: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?. Sebastian Popa : No .Frank Scott: Who is the target customer for his design?. Sebastian Popa : General public .Frank Scott: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?. Sebastian Popa : At a first glance, people would think that it is a usual candle, but as the candle melts they can discover its special feature. .Frank Scott: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?. Sebastian Popa : Ardora comes from the latin Ardens which means burning and also shining. .Frank Scott: What is the most unique aspect of your design?. Sebastian Popa : Looking like a normal candle will make people think that it is a trivial object. Only after they lit up the candle they will discover the hidden artifact inside of it. This will produce surprise, at it is an object that has an unexpected feature. .Frank Scott: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?. Sebastian Popa : Nobody, it is entirely done by me. No .Frank Scott: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?. Sebastian Popa : The main challenge was to make the wax around the heart to melt uniformly. At first, I designed the candle with only one wick going in front of the ceramic heart. Because of this, the wax behind the ceramic heart didn&#039;t receive enough heat and didn&#039;t melt properly, still covering a part of the ceramic heart. This made me design a wick that separates inside the candle, going through the front and the back of the ceramic heart. In this way, the wax melts uniformly, revealing the heart inside. .